8 Trade Destinations Named for Darius Garland

The Darius Garland drama in Cleveland is reaching a boiling point, as the star point guard could be on the verge of asking for a trade. His agent, Rich Paul, has suggested as much, if a Donovan Mitchell extension is reached with the Cavaliers this summer.

With that, Cavs insider Evan Dammarell of Right Down Euclid has named eight teams that could enter the conversation if trade talks begin.

Several league sources shared with Right Down Euclid that if Garland demands a move to an Eastern Conference team, the Orlando Magic, the Brooklyn Nets, the Washington Wizards, and the Toronto Raptors could all enter the conversation. If it expands to the entire NBA, then similar sources shared that the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans could send Cleveland trade proposals.

Let's go through these tentative destinations, all of them seemingly at different stages of development:

The Rebuilding Teams

The Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz are still in the midst of putting their future cores together, and Garland seems like a perfect fit for, in particular, the Spurs, as they are a star point guard away from vaulting into playoff contention with the continued development of Victor Wembanyama.

The Wizards are still years away from contention, while the Jazz are a bit closer, but Garland wouldn't make the difference between a seriously contending Utah team or not. The Toronto angle is an odd one, as they traded OG Anunoby this past season to the New York Knicks for their assumed point guard of the future in Immanuel Quickley, and seem set to sign the restricted free agent to a long-term, rich deal this summer.

The Contenders

The Minnesota Timberwolves, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans could all vault into being serious contenders adding a dynamic lead guard like Garland. That all depends, of course, on what's going back the other way. The Pelicans seem like a natural trade fit, as they're trying to move on from Brandon Ingram, and a star scoring forward like that is exactly what the Cavs are looking for.

The Brooklyn Nets have the draft assets to offer in return.

We certainly haven't heard the last of the Darius Garland situation this offseason.